HB community meeting presents facts

TRACI ANDERSON

Published
7:00 pm EST, Sunday, November 7, 2004

Some of the talk has included rumors about the school, the board, and the administration. Another group of concerned citizens, including members of the board of education and Superintendent Ron Kraft, invited the community to an informational meeting Sunday at the high school to present school district facts, figures, and an historical perspective in an effort to diminish negative talk and rumors about the school board and administration.

At the heart of the reason for the desired recall is financial mismanagement, according to the Citizens for Education. The group is pointing to the board-approved five year contract for Kraft as the chief justification for financial mismanagement. The group also has named other complaints regarding the school board and administration, such as concerns not being addressed properly.

After moderator Steven A. Leese explained what would be taking place during the community meeting, school board President Michael Delpiere talked about the role of the school board, school board meeting structure, and board policy. He said the school board has three major responsibilities: the hiring and firing of the CEO, setting policy, and being good stewards of taxpayer money.

"If the board and superintendent work in harmony, your school will thrive," he said. "If the board and superintendent are adversarial toward each other, the district will struggle."

Delpiere reviewed a board policy regarding problems and concerns and how they should be addressed. The steps include the following: taking the concern to the person closest to the problem; presenting the concern to the next level, such as the principal; talking with the superintendent; and contacting school board members.

He said if board members need to be contacted, they should be contacted at school board meetings where a portion of the meeting is set aside for the public to voice their comments and concerns. According to Kraft, this policy is not new and has been sent to parent households in the district.

Delpiere said the claim that the board is not listening to community concerns is not true.

"The basis for many of our decisions can be directly linked to a couple of community driven documents," he said.

One of these is the strategic plan, an idea of Kraft's. To start the strategic plan, a cross section of 30 people in the community met for a two-day retreat in the fall of 1998 to discuss the plan. This steering committee listed various factors that affected the school district, such as financial, demographics, and technology.

The group examined advantages of the competition and advantages of Harbor Beach schools and also reviewed strengths and weaknesses of the school. They came up with a list of critical issues affecting the school district, which included facility needs, student achievement/curriculum, declining enrollment, and marketing/communication. From these critical issues, the strategic plan was formed.

Delpiere said action teams of additional community members worked on action plans for each critical issue. A total of 111 additional community members helped develop different areas of the strategic plan.

Over time, the steering committee has reviewed the strategic plan to determine any changes that need to be made.

Delpiere also addressed the concerns regarding a five-year contract.

"For me, as I looked at the big picture of where we were as a district and where we are now, I saw a school district that has been proactive in the areas of strategic planning, student achievement, use of technology, and financial responsibility," he said.

"All of these attributes can be directly linked to our Superintendent Mr. Kraft … I believe Mr. Kraft is a proven leader for our district and he is the person to lead us through the next five years."

He said he felt the added responsibilities Kraft has taken on over the years warranted the package that the board agreed upon.

"The last question I asked myself was, 'Is our district better off today than it was seven years ago?,' and the answer was a resounding yes," he said.

Past board member Larry Siemen offered a historical perspective of the school district, and he started in the mid 1980s when he was elected to the board. He said at the time, the district was struggling financially and had poor student test scores.

He said at the end of his first year, the district's budget was $30,000 in the red. The superintendent at the time had wanted to go for a millage to help with finances, he said, but no one talked about being more accountable with the district's finances. The superintendent left the district shortly thereafter.

From the time that superintendent left to the time the time Kraft was hired, the district had seven superintendents, none of whom stayed for more than four years and some for less than a year.

"If you want to talk about turmoil, there wasn't any continuity in the district at all and there wasn't any plan that ever got carried out because no one had to be accountable and had to follow through," Siemen said.

He said when he looks back to that time and then looks at where the district is today, there is a real feeling of accomplishment.

"This issue of a recall of the (board members) has nothing to do about financial mismanagement. It is about several people who can't stand that someone is finally in charge of Harbor Beach Community Schools and is running this district the way it should be," he said.

Siemen pointed out that Kraft has received several offers from other school districts to be their superintendents.

He said one of the most important things Kraft has done for the district is to bring in new money from many different areas.

"If he were given a small percentage of the money that he has brought to this district, his compensation package would be much higher than it is," he said.

Siemen praised the board for compensating Kraft for his efficiency and for making a better district.

"How can these board members be accused of financial mismanagement when the district continues to be more financially strong each year," he said. "If we recall these people, what good moral citizen would even want to run for these positions?"

He said he fails to see how a recall could make the school a better place for students.

Elementary/Middle School Principal Denise Kish presented MEAP scores of the 2003 class. The class ranked first in writing, second in mathematics, fourth in science, fifth in reading, and eighth in social studies out of 17 schools in Huron and Tuscola counties.

She pointed out that the high school received the Governor's Cup in 1999 and 2000, which is based on the Athletic Conference and is a total of all students in a class who earn the Michigan Merit Award. She said it's very difficult for the school to receive the Governor's Cup because of the school's declining enrollment. She said the school has performed well in Quiz Bowl and band competitions.

"I'm proud to have been a part of Mr. Kraft's vision (to improve the school district)," she said.

She highlighted student assessments, professional development, and enhanced programs, such as the shared time program. This program has students from Our Lady of Lake Huron and Zion Lutheran take classes at Harbor Beach Community Schools in music, technology, art, and much more. She also highlighted the many opportunities available for parents to get involved in the schools.

Kraft presented an historical perspective on the district's fund balance since he first started in his position in 1997-98. At the end of the first year, the fund balance totaled $1.37 million. At the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year, the fund balance totaled $2.26 million. For each fiscal year other than 2001-02, money was put into the fund balance, a total of $898,576.

Kraft also reviewed grant dollars brought into the district, which totals $565,159 since 1997-98. Payments from other school districts for services provided, such as transportation and bookkeeping, totaled $330,947 since 1997-98.

Because of the shared time program, the district received more per-student allowance monies than if the district didn't have the shared time program, and that amount totaled $762,924. This brings the total amount of new money generated to $1.65 million.

Kraft also reviewed transportation, curriculum, and technology/computer purchases from the general fund.

Kraft also addressed his five year contract and other issues. This will be in part two of the two-part series.